A Heterogeneous Battlefield Situation Information Sharing Method Based on Content

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Paper is well organised. Although the approach to schema mapping is not entirely novel, its application area has merit. There is a thoughtful attempt to demonstrate practical relevance through an experiment. 

Author Response

Dear Reviewer:
Thank you for your comments concerning our manuscript entitled “A Heterogeneous Battlefield Situation Information Sharing Method Based on Content” (ID: applsci-631397). Those comments are all valuable and very helpful for revising and improving our paper, as well as the important guiding significance to our researches. We have studied comments carefully and checked the grammar and style of the full text，while some grammatical mistakes have been adjusted  which we hope meet with approval. Revised portion are marked in red in the paper. 

Special thanks to you for your good comments.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and questions:

Fig. 4 shows a one-direction data flow (from battlefield data collection to UBSIS). What is the data flow from UBSIS to the battlefield? Was the system operational in a real war conflict? In Fig. 5 there are undifferentiated edges, the edges shown in the legend do not appear in the graph.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer:

    Thank you for your comments concerning our manuscript entitled “A Heterogeneous Battlefield Situation Information Sharing Method Based on Content” (ID: applsci-631397). Those comments are all valuable and very helpful for revising and improving our paper, as well as the important guiding significance to our researches. We have studied comments carefully and have made correction which we hope meet with approval. Revised portions are marked in red in the paper. And here are the responds to your comments:

    1.Response to comment: Fig. 3 shows a one-direction data flow (from battlefield data collection to UBSIS). What is the data flow from UBSIS to the battlefield?

    Response: It is really true as Reviewer pointed that Fig. 3 only shows a one-direction data flow that is from battlefield data collection to UBSIS. While the data flow from UBSIS to the battlefield is not displayed in it clearly.

    Actually, Fig. 3 is mainly used to instruct the function and significance of realizing the aggregation of information that is contained in different information systems. By constructing and maintaining a unified battlefield situation information space, the information from different information systems can be processed and accessed uniformly, and the overall value of multi-system information can be played. Based on the UBSIS, a single information system can obtain more battlefield target description information in a larger scope than its original information acquisition area, so as to provide better information services for users within the system. While different combat units can get a more complete and comprehensive battlefield situation, so as to reach a consistent understanding of the battlefield situation easily.

    As for the data flow from UBSIS to the battlefield, it can be viewed as the process of sharing information based on the UBSIS. This process is mainly displayed in Fig.4, which displayed the layered heterogeneous information sharing framework. Where, information broadcasting and query are used to realize information sharing based on the UBSIS.

Response to comment: Was the system operational in a real war conflict?

    Response: The issue we studied originated from specific application practice, where the sharing of heterogeneous information among different combat information systems is needed and remains unsolved. And our goal is to provide more effective information assurance for joint operations, by realizing a correct interaction and mutual understanding of information in the process of conducting the integrated use of multi combat systems. On this basis, a more comprehensive and effective information services can be provided for the various combat units in services and arms that are equipped with different information systems. It is conductive to ensure a consistent understanding of the battlefield situation information for each combat unit, which is useful for the effective realization of the distributed decision among different commanders, and for the efficient coordination among combat units.

    At present, our research has made some achievements, but it still needs to be further tested and improved before application.

3. Response to comment: In Fig. 5 there are undifferentiated edges, the edges shown in the legend do not appear in the graph.

Response: We are very sorry for our negligence of drawing figures, and we have made corresponding correctness according to your comment.

  Special thanks to you for your good comments again.